limo-basic-tutorial.fm

 How to Use the Limo Example GBB Version 4.1 Overview What this document This tutorial describes how to use the limo-scheduling demonstration is about example provided with GBB. Topics are as follows: • Loading and running the limo application  What the graphics windows show you  Entering limo orders and exploring unit instances  Using the Control Shell Window  Quitting the application The limo example The limo application schedules limousine service for customers traveling between various locations. The application acts as an intelligent dispatcher for a limousine service called the Lazy Limo Company. The basic idea of a limousine service is to accommodate people who typically make reservations in advance for a ride from a designated pickup place, at a designated time, to a designated drop-off place, at an estimated time. A limousine service typically uses limousines or vans that can transport several passengers at one time. Developed using The limo application was developed using GBB, and it uses the GBB GBB and ChalkBox Graphics System to display graphical information. The GBB Graphics System is a graphical user interface developed using the ChalkBox™ graphics toolkit. For more About the limo application—For a general description of the limo information example, see the document titled The Limo Example.  About the GBB Graphics System— To learn how to create graphical blackboard windows in a GBB application and customize them to display the information you need, see the tutorial titled  How to Use the GBB Graphics System with the Limo Example. For information on how to use your mouse with the GBB Graphics System and how to use the pop-up menus and dialogs, see the Interacting with ChalkBox manual. About GBB—For more information about the GBB concepts discussed in this tutorial, see the GBB documentation set. Loading and running the limo application Loading start-up In the Lisp listener window, make the directory containing GBB current and information load the startup.lisp file into Lisp by entering the following form: (load "startup.lisp") Lisp loads the startup.lisp file and several other files. Tip: You must specify a complete path name if the startup.lisp file is stored in a directory other than your default directory. For example, the form might be: (load "/local/gbb/v-410/startup.lisp"). Switching from If you are switching to the limo example from any other GBB application another GBB (for example, the ecosystem example or elevator example), simply reset application GBB by calling the reset-gbb generic function, instead of loading the startup.lisp file. Loading and To load the GBB limo-example module and run the application, enter running the limo forms in the Lisp listener window as follows: example 1 Load the limo-example module: (load-kti-module :limo-example) 2 Change to the limo-example package: (in-package :limo-example) 3 Activate the GBB Graphics System and run the limo example: (limo-example t) Note: If your application window is not sufficiently large or your monitor does not have sufficient resolution, a Chain Manager window will be displayed, to allow you to iteratively select among individual windows. For information about using the Chain Manager window, see "Small screen displays." 2 GBB Limo Example Tutorial    Building a suspended Lisp image Lisp loads all of the required GBB files each time you load the :limo-example module. Therefore, to avoid reloading all those files each time you want to run the limo example (or another GBB example), you can build a suspended Lisp image containing the commonly used GBB modules. Then, when you load the :limo-example module to run the limo example, only the files specific to the limo example are loaded. For example, the following forms build an image containing the gbb, gbb-graphics, and agenda-shell modules: (load-kti-module ’(:gbb :agenda-shell :gbb-graphics)) (setq excl::*read-init-files* nil) (kti-tools:save-image "my-gbb") Recovering from errors If you cause an error while performing the activities in this tutorial, see "Error recovery" at the end of this document. What the graphics windows show you Predefined The limo application displays the following windows in a predefined configuration configuration on your screen: Five blackboard windows, which are windows that display information about unit instances on the blackboard. The Control Shell Window, which enables you to monitor the operations of the control shell and interactively stop and restart it. The title of the window changes to reflect the KS that is currently being executed. (For example, when the Lisp listener window indicates that it is time to place an order, the window will be titled Get-Order-Interactive-KS, since the get-order-interactive-ks KS is the KS that brings up the limo order dialog.) The Lisp listener window, which displays a trace of all control-shell activities (consisting of descriptive lines for each event that is signalled). The GBB logo window, which is an important mouse location, because the main ChalkBox menu and GBB Graphics System menu are available when the mouse is located over the logo window.  The Mouse Documentation window, which provides a handy source of information on the functions of mouse buttons and keystroke/mouse- button combinations. GBB Limo Example Tutorial 3     Window arrangement If your monitor has sufficient resolution and a sufficiently large application window, all the windows described above will appear directly on your monitor. On a low-resolution monitor or a monitor on which the application window size is insufficient, a special Chain Manager window allows you to iteratively select among individual windows. For information about using the Chain Manager window, see "Small screen displays." What the Blackboard windows are a special type of window provided by the GBB blackboard windows Graphics System to display a one- or two-dimensional view of a selected show area of the blackboard database. The five blackboard windows displayed by the limo application have been predefined to show the unit instances stored on particular space dimensions in the blackboard database. The windows show the following information: Route Map—The blackboard window titled Route Map shows the places serviced by the limos and the roads used to service the places. (The places at which a sign is displayed are designated as waiting places for the limos.) Orders Received—The blackboard window titled Orders Received shows orders received. It displays a line indicating the most direct route, as the crow flies, between the origin and destination places. Notice that, since you haven’t submitted an order yet, no lines are drawn. Planned Tasks—The blackboard window titled Planned Tasks shows tasks planned for the limos. It displays lines representing the routes between the origin and destination places. Notice that initially the only planned task is the waiting task. The dot representing the Lazy Limo Co. is green (representing the waiting task), because all the limos are waiting there. Time/Place View—The blackboard window titled Time/Place View contains a graph that shows the places that will be visited by the limos (or at which they will be waiting) against the period of time during which the places will be visited. Notice that initially all limos are waiting at Lazy Limo Co. (The green line represents the waiting task of the limos.) Task Status—The blackboard window titled Task Status contains a graph to-pickup-fare to-waiting-placethat shows the status ( , , waiting carrying-fare, and ) of the waiting and to-pickup-fare tasks against the time interval of the statuses. The graph shows that initially all limos are waiting at Lazy Limo Co. Note: The type of mouse click you use to select an operation from a pop-up menu depends on your window toolkit. Entering a limo order Next, enter a limo order by following the instructions below. Watch the order as it is displayed in the Orders Received window (as the blue line between J- 4 GBB Limo Example Tutorial  Mart and Golden Age Village). Watch the planned route of the assigned limo as it is displayed in the Planned Tasks window. To understand why the application chose the planned route, check the possible routes in the Route Map window. Using the limo order You enter an order for a limo by using the limo order dialog. To bring up the dialog limo order dialog, click left on the button labeled “Place an order.” In the dialog, specify the origin and destination places, the pickup time, and the number of passengers to be picked up, as follows: 1 Click left on J-Mart in the list of origin place names, to indicate the place at which the customer wants to be picked up. 2 Click left on Golden Age Village in the list of destination place names, to indicate the place to which the customer wants to be delivered. 3 Enter 10:00 (indicating 10 A.M.) for the pickup time. 4 Click left on the box labeled 2 for the number of passengers. 5 Click left on the Place Order button, or simply press Return. KS activity Based on the limo order you entered, GBB runs KSs that determine:  Which limo is available to pick up two passengers at J-Mart at 10 A.M. and deliver them to Golden Age Village  The fastest and most efficient route for servicing these customers, given the possible routes (as defined to the application) As GBB runs the KSs, it displays descriptive lines in the Lisp listener window about the events signalled by the KSs. Note the message displayed in the Lisp listener window by the assign-limo-ks KS: Assigning limo n to pickup 2 passengers at 10:00 from J-Mart. Drop off is at 11:24 at Golden Age Village. Planned tas